LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- In his 4th state of the union address, President Barack Obama laid out the agenda for his second term in office. The focus of the speech was how he plans to improve the economy and find work for 12.3 million unemployed Americans.

On foreign policy, the President announced a major troop withdrawal from Afghanistan -- 34,000 by this time next year. He also pushed for a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the US, and he made it clear he wants action on gun control.

Arkansas lawmakers responded to President Obama's speech.

Republican Congressman Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said his biggest take-away from the State of the Union was that the president is proposing more of the same failed policies of the last four years -- more taxes, more spending and more debt.

"We've added $6 trillion of debt to our nation's children, and there's been little economic growth. In fact, we had contraction in the last 3 months of 2012. What we need are equal rights for all and special privileges for none, lower taxes, less spending, more prosperity not just for today, but also for the future," he said.

Arkansas' lone Democrat, Senator Mark Pryor, also weighed in. He said President Obama touched on two things he wanted him to -- the economy and our nation's debt.

"I was happy from that standpoint. He did try to give some specifics. I felt like he tried, at least early in the speech to be very bipartisan. That's the only way you're able to get things down here in Washington," he explained. "Unfortunately, the paradigm right now in D.C. is Red vs. Blue, but people in my state know that's not how you get things done."